Usman Khawaja wears black armband during 1st Test against Pakistan to express solidarity with Palestine

After the ICC ruling prohibited him from wearing shoes with messages in support of Palestine amid their ongoing conflict against Israel in the Gaza Strip, Usman Khawaja wore a black armband on Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth on Thursday.

A couple of days before the first Test, the Australian batter was spotted wearing shoes, that had slogans of "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal", and was about to sport them for the opening game.

However, he risked being banned as the ICC does not allow any political messages on the field of play.

After Australian captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Khawaja will not wear 'non-compliant' shoes, the latter vowed to challenge ICC's guidelines in a lengthy message posted on his social media handles.

However, Cummins stated that he doesn't see anything divisive in Khawaja's messages.

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Usman Khawaja and David Warner dominate the first session after Australia win the toss and bat first

Usman Khawaja and David Warner. (Credits: Twitter)

Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja and David Warner took the game to Pakistan bowlers in the first session at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Warner, potentially playing the final Test series of his career, stood out with a quick-fire half-century as the hosts reached 117-0 at Lunch.

Australia announced a strong XI for the opening Test of the summer, with Travis Head returning as the vice-captain. Nathan Lyon remains the only change from their most recent Test, replacing Todd Murphy in the playing XI.

Pakistan, meanwhile, named two debutants in their XI, with Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad making their first Test appearances. The Men in Green face a massive challenge in the three-match Test series, having not won a Test Down Under since 1995.

Since their 2023 World Cup exit, there has been quite an upheaval in Pakistan cricket, notably with Babar Azam resigning as captain across formats.